Chapter 72

"Sit down."

"Sure."

Renok obediently sat on the opposite sofa at Drey's invitation to take a seat.

A woman with glasses quickly delivered two cups of coffee to the two of them and then left.

Renok realized that the woman was the one who had worked with him on the operation to eliminate the scavengers.

She was definitely the one who provided long-range support with a rifle... her name was Kidel, wasn't it?

Well, that wasn't the most important thing right now.

"This time, I really appreciate it."

Drey bowed his head, and his appearance was still haggard, as if he hadn't fully recovered from the curse.

Judging by his looks, it seemed he had been brought back from the brink of death, which explained why Weian had made such a fuss to find Renok.

His eyes, however, had a faint glimmer of vitality, so there was no need to worry too much about his health.

"Ah, Kidel. This isn't coffee. What kind of strange medicine did you brew?"

"Shut up and drink it. I'll ban all caffeine until you're fully recovered."

Thinking of Drey's colleagues who were concerned about his health, it didn't seem like it would take long for him to recover.

Renok watched the commotion between the two of them and then replied.

"It's not a problem since I was properly compensated."

"I heard you took care of it even though you had a tight schedule. From my perspective, as someone who benefited from it, I can't just let it go."

As Drey said this, he took a small wooden box from his pocket and handed it to Renok.

"Please take it."

"......"

Inside the wooden box were five small pills neatly wrapped in paper.

"These are called Headrock elixirs. They are refined through regeneration spells and have the effect of restoring various damages to both the inside and outside of the body."

In other words, they are a more advanced version of a red potion.

"I thought this might help with the curse, so my teammates got it. Since you, a half-mage, have resolved the issue, I believe this is a way to repay your kindness."

Drey's firm words made Renok accept the wooden box without refusing.

If he was confident enough to say that, the Headrock elixirs must be quite valuable.

Of course, if all this was purely out of goodwill, it would be right to refuse to avoid unnecessary debt.

'But Drey Crimgal must have his own calculations.'

While it's one thing to set up a meeting, it's not a common practice in this line of work to call someone in just to give them a reward.

Considering that Weian had paid Renok's fee in advance, Drey's actions now seemed like a gesture to maintain a connection.

That's why Renok didn't refuse the wooden box Drey offered.

He thought Drey Crimgal was a decent mercenary, and there were things he needed to find out.

"About the pillar job. Can you tell me who the client was?"

"Normally, it's wise to keep quiet about past jobs to survive in this line of work..."

He smiled slightly.

"But I can't do that with a half-mage. I'll tell you."

The story of how the Crimgal Mercenary Office was ambushed in the underground waterway went like this.

Similar mercenary offices received simultaneous requests to find a pillar in the underground waterway.

Despite the job not seeming too difficult, the reward was quite substantial, leading to competition among the offices.

"The client who gave us the job was an ordinary office worker. He didn't seem to know what he was saying, just handed over a dummy account, and left. It looked like he deliberately went through several people to avoid revealing his backer."

"......"

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"No."

Renok interrupted him and stood up.

With just that short clue, he was confident about who had commissioned the job.

The use of a dummy account and going through several people indicated a meticulous operation.

The only force capable of using such a sophisticated method to place a job in a short time was either the black mages or the Rayzen.

'The Rayzen asked about the pillar first.'

And they tried to secretly confirm it through mercenaries.

'After Drey was cursed, they realized the pillar was the work of black mages and tried to recover it through Mad Manson.'

Considering Manson arrived at the underground waterway half a day before Renok, Drey must have realized he was cursed after Weian started moving.

'The question is how important the pillar is to the black mages...'

If they didn't place much significance on finding the pillar, it might be more beneficial to hire freelancers to draw Rayzen's attention.

While Rayzen was distracted by the black funds, they could use the encryption key to track the location and raid the temporary base, gaining a much bigger reward.

'If the pillar in the outskirts of Balkan was a bait, it might be more efficient to ignore it.'

After quickly thinking it through, Renok thanked Drey and left his office.

Weian, who had been loitering near the corridor, met his gaze and greeted him with a stiff expression.

"Ah, hello."

He looked exhausted from not getting enough sleep, but his eyes had a glimmer of vitality.

No matter what, Drey regaining his senses meant their efforts were rewarded.

Renok didn't value camaraderie too highly, but he trusted people like this more.

"Thank you for this."

Weian hesitated as Renok tried to pass by.

"If it weren't for you, the boss might not have been able to break the curse in time and could have died."

"......"

"I've thought a lot about the talent you mentioned, but I still don't understand it."

Weian wiped his nose.

"Terms like mana sensitivity are too difficult for me."

"Is that so?"

"But as I went around trying to save the boss... I started to understand something."

"......"

"I realized what I wanted to do and why I was so invested in this job."

Woo...!!

As he spoke, a slowly rotating, deep blue mana orb appeared around Weian.

It was a completely different aura from when he visited Jenny's bar. This level of mana was heavy enough to rival Drey's.

He had grown so much in such a short time.

"Being able to see the surrounding mana more clearly opened up many possibilities."

As Weian clenched and unclenched his fist, a rich flow of mana burst out like a fountain.

The young man, with a calm expression, watched the mana rise and then, as he clenched his fist, it disappeared in a dazzling whirl of light.

Just by realizing his talent for mana sensitivity, his mana capacity and control had drastically improved.

Even if it was a talent that only excelled in one area, surpassing the threshold would naturally elevate his overall mana abilities.

Renok, seeing this unusual growth in someone else for the first time, understood.

As he had observed before, Weian had that much talent and potential.

Even if he didn't match Renok himself, he was a genius in his own way, blossoming in a different manner.

"I'm grateful to you. I'll repay this debt someday."

"......Sure. I'll collect it later."

Just maintaining a relationship with the Crimgal Office through Weian alone was worth it.

Smirking, Renok replied, and Weian's tension seemed to ease as he started talking more.

"Come visit my neighborhood sometime. It's in Bella Street, and there are many good people there. There are also many who want to do similar work, so I can introduce you later."

"Isn't it famous for food? I'll drop by sometime."

Renok chatted with Weian for a while and then left the office leisurely.

It was a half-day well spent, despite the significant time investment.

"......"

He glanced back at the Crimgal Office, which was now distant.

Although it was a coincidence, this was the second time he had connected with someone after Dylan, and the Crimgal Office was the first.

Renok didn't want to think too much about how far this relationship would go, but maintaining a good relationship with capable mercenaries was definitely beneficial.

How far Drey would lead his office and how strong Weian would become.

No one knew how far Renok himself would go.

Magic is...

Thud, thud.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the deep darkness.

They were blunt but rhythmic, heavy but full of power.

And the only one maintaining such a presence in this place was Craig alone.

"Elder..."

"...Hector."

"The test of the improved spell is complete. Once we implant the suggestion into the test subject and finish the summoning ritual, we can confirm the results."

A gaunt face, drained of moisture by the desert's heat.

The expressions of those who left the city based on his word were still full of trust.

Craig couldn't stop the pain in his chest at the sight.

"Alright... tell me when you're ready. I'll observe the experiment and check its progress myself."

"Understood. And..."

Hector turned to leave but then remembered something.

"Supplies have arrived from Phalzion. It feels like they're sending us unnecessary items continuously..."

"I know."

Craig nodded.

"Since the first phase of the experiment is nearing its end, they probably want to take credit before the results are confirmed."

Since deciding to collaborate with Phalzion, the supplies they sent ensured they never lacked anything.

Abundant provisions and steady progress in the experiments.

Despite everything going according to the initial plan, Craig couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Perhaps it was because the first step was wrong from the start.

When he rejected the City Council's offer, he thought